FOUNDATIONS OF SPECTROSCOPY

INTERFERENCE: THE PRINCIPLE BY WHICH LIGHT IS BROKEN UP

Unlike solid objects waves can occupy the same space

at the same time. When they do their amplitudes add.
This is strictly true for both electromagnetic waves and
the waves of quantum mechanics. But the amplitudes
of both kinds of waves are signed, that is, they are
both positive and negative. When amplitudes of the
same sign are superimposed upon each other then the
combined amplitude is greater. This is called constructive interference. When amplitudes of opposite signs
are superimposed upon each other then the net amplitude is decreased and sometimes cancelled. This is
called destructive interference.

In this example of CONSTRUCTIVE INTERFERENCE

the green curve is the sum of the yellow and blue
curves.

In this example of DESTRUCTIVE INTERFERENCE

the flat line is the sum of the yellow and blue curves.
If the yellow and blue curves were light waves then
the sum would be dark.

n = d sin
The picture on the right illustrates the geometry of a
diffraction grating. Two (of the thousands) of slits in
the grating allow light to pass through. The separation between the slits is d. The angle at which we
observe the waves is . The wavelength of the light
is .
You can see that the waves are in the same relative
position (the same phase) along their direction of
travel, because one wave has exactly one wavelength farther to travel than the other one, which
gives rise to constructive interference and which
produces light which can be seen on a screen or in
the eye.
By trigonometry you can see (Picture number 12 on
the NEXT page may help) that = d sin.
You would also have constructive interference if
one wave traveled exactly two wavelengths, or any
integral number n, further than the other one, which
is how we obtain the general equation n = d sin.

10